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Will the Real Uncle Sam Please Stand Up?

EPISODE · Jan 7, 2026 · 31 MIN

Will the Real Uncle Sam Please Stand Up?

from Sidedoor · host Smithsonian Institution

He’s a symbol of patriotism, protest, and power. But behind the red, white, and blue is a real man—and a disputed American origin story. How did a real guy go from meatpacker to meme, to personification of a nation and, eventually, the most famous Army recruiter in history?I WANT YOU… to listen and find out.Guests: Frank Blazich, curator of modern military history at the Smithsonian's National Musuem of American HistoryKathy Sheehan, executive director of the Hart Cluett Museum in Troy, New York; The Redela County and Troy City historian

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 7, 2026

What this episode covers

He’s a symbol of patriotism, protest, and power. But behind the red, white, and blue is a real man—and a disputed American origin story. How did a real guy go from meatpacker to meme, to personification of a nation and, eventually, the most famous Army recruiter in history? I WANT YOU… to listen and find out. Guests: Frank Blazich, curator of modern military history at the Smithsonian's National Musuem of American History Kathy Sheehan, executive director of the Hart Cluett Museum in Troy, New York; The Redela County and Troy City historian

PodParley-generated summary based on available episode metadata and transcript content.